This invention relates to a circuit board mountable shielded electrical receptacle connector, and in particular to a metal shield therefor having a dual cantilever grounding beam. The invention concerns improvements in the shielding of such connectors and in improvements in grounding the shield thereof to a panel. Since such connectors are used for the connection of electronic apparatus, for example computers and their peripherals, the signal contacts of such connectors should be well shielded and the shields thereof should be well grounded.
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,170 a shielded plug receptacle connector having a metal shield which surrounds only the forward end of the housing of the connector, which is of overall rectangular shape, the shield being grounded by contact with that of a shielded plug for mating with the receptacle connector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,555 discloses a shielded circular DIN receptacle connector having an overall rectangular shaped housing provided with a rectangular metal shield having an upper side wall covering an upper side wall of the housing, opposite end walls covering opposite end walls of the housing, a front wall covering a front wall of the housing and having a circular plug access opening, and a rudimentary bottom wall covering part of a lower side wall of the housing near the front wall thereof. The shield is, however, open at its rear end. The shield is grounded by means of mounting feet for soldering to ground traces on a circuit board on which the connector is mounted. There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,669, a rectangular shield for a rectangular connector housing. The shield covers an upper side wall of the housing and opposed end walls thereof. The shield is formed with an upstanding lug for fastening to the chassis of an electronic apparatus, and with mounting feet for soldering to ground traces on a printed circuit board.